Sponsors (17)
The bill protects career civil servants and helps maintain public services during government funding lapses, but it does so at the cost of reduced managerial flexibility, potential higher taxpayer expenses, and possible complications for emergency or national-security responses.
Taxpayers and members of the public: Keeping career federal staff on board during funding lapses preserves institutional knowledge and reduces service interruptions, so public programs continue to operate more reliably during shutdowns.
Federal employees: Career civil-service employees are protected from removal during appropriations lapses, preserving job security and continuity of employment.
Federal employees and the civil service system: By exempting only political appointees from the protection, the bill limits political interference in personnel decisions during lapses and strengthens merit-based civil service protections.
Agencies and the public: Restricting personnel actions during funding lapses could impede agencies' ability to make urgent staffing changes needed for emergency or national security responses, complicating crisis management.
Managers and taxpayers: The bill limits executives' flexibility to remove or reorganize poor-performing career staff during lapses, which could prolong underperformance and reduce agency effectiveness.
Taxpayers: Retaining employees who cannot be lawfully removed during prolonged funding gaps could increase personnel costs for agencies, raising fiscal burdens on taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Prevents the President and Executive agency heads from removing career civil service employees during any lapse in discretionary appropriations, while exempting political appointees.
Prohibits the President and heads of Executive agencies from removing career civil service employees during any lapse in discretionary appropriations. The rule exempts political appointees and uses statutory definitions for "civil service," "Executive agency," and several categories of political positions. The change protects career federal workers from being fired or separated (including by reduction in force) during government funding lapses. It does not create new funding, alter pay, or apply to political appointees.
Introduced October 3, 2025 by Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick · Last progress October 3, 2025